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Atmospheric nitrous oxide produced by solar protons and relativistic electrons

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Abstract

Nitric oxide (NO), which contributes to the destruction of stratospheric ozone, may be formed directly in the upper atmosphere by solar protons1,2 and by the precipitation of relativistic electrons from the Earth's radiation belts3. We now describe an alternative means by which solar proton (SP) events and relativistic electron precipitation (REP) events may lead to the production of stratospheric NO—the production of nitrous oxide (N2O) in the mesosphere, its downward migration and conversion in the stratosphere to NO by the reaction

N2O + O(1D) → 2 NO (1)

This process could amplify the direct NO production by >10%, which is significant. Mesospheric nitrous oxide mixing ratios increase to values as high as 6×10−7. due to REP- and SP-related production. Lateral transport will reduce these high values. But even so, mesospheric mixing ratios of N2O in the high latitudes would approach 10−7, which is considerably greater than those expected on the basis of theories which neglect REP- and SP-related production of this species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, California, 91109, USA

    Sheo S. Prasad

  2. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15260, USA

    E. C. Zipf

Authors
  1. Sheo S. Prasad
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  2. E. C. Zipf
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Prasad, S., Zipf, E. Atmospheric nitrous oxide produced by solar protons and relativistic electrons. Nature 291, 564–566 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1038/291564a0

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